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Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia

Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia Fernald & B.G. Schub.  
Family: Polygalaceae
drumheads
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
  • vPlants
  • Resources
The Morton Arboretum
Annual herb 5 - 25 cm tall Stem: erect, usually with few opposite branches at 90 degrees to adjacent pairs (decussate), sometimes unbranched, with three to six nodes bearing leaves. Leaves: in whorls of three or four, stalkless or nearly so, 1 - 4 cm long, 3 - 7 mm wide, linear to narrow elliptic with a rounded to abruptly pointed tip. Inflorescence: a dense cluster (raceme), 0.7 - 3.5 cm long, 0.7 - 1.5 cm across, cylindrical with a rounded tip. Flowers: pale rose purple to greenish purple, with three small outer sepals and two petal-like inner sepals (wings). The wings are 2.5 - 4 mm long, 2.5 - 4 mm wide at the base, and triangular with a sharply pointed tip. Three petals fused into a tube, shorter than the wings, with one petal fringed. Fruit: an elliptic dehiscent capsule, having a 1 mm long appendage (aril) with linear lobes about as long as the slightly wrinkled seed.

Similar species: The typical variety of Polygala cruciata has narrow leaves (1 - 4 mm) and slightly larger inflorescences (1.5 - 4.5 cm long, 1.2 - 2 cm across) than this variety.

Flowering: mid July to late September

Habitat and ecology: Local in acidic sandy soils, often on a slight slope between a black oak savanna and a shallow marsh.

Occurence in the Chicago region: native

Etymology: Polygala comes from the Greek words polys, meaning much, and gala meaning milk, referring to the old belief that milkworts would aid in milk secretion. Cruciata means cross-shaped, referring to the whorls of four leaves. Aquilonia refers to its northern distribution.

Author: The Morton Arboretum

Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia
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Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
Polygala cruciata var. aquilonia image
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